Orange Skipper Collection I - Telicota spp

Starting this, so that we can post all our orange Telicota skipper UFOs for comparison and future reference. Who knows, after awhile we may be able to ID them from field shots if we have enough references.

Mating pairs are very crucial to the IDs as we can then verify better, the differences between the males and females.

So here goes...

This first one is a Telicota shot at Ubin's Sensory Trail. The 2nd one is another Telicota shot nearby but a different specimen.

The 3rd one is definitely a female Telicota cos it laid an egg on the ginger-like plant. Shot at USR.

Here are two more, both shot at TBHP. The mating pair appear similar on the undersides, but the uppersides are different, as shown in C&P4. The problem with C&P4 is that it does not show the undersides of T. colon. :-( The uppersides of T. colon and T. augias are not easy to differentiate due to the subtle differences as indicated in the ID Key. :hmmm:

Anyway, here goes with the Telicota database, and hopefully we will have enough to conclude on some of our UFO shots.

I have a folder full of Telicota, Potanthus and the 'brown' skippers. :sweat:

Resurrecting this thread after 2 years. I am adding Potanthus to it, I hope you don't mind. 6 different specimens. Hope someone can help.

No1)

No2)

No 3) - Now pretrty sure Potanthus confucius dushta

No 4)

No 5) - Courtesy of SC Potanthus trachala tytleri

No 6)

Extracted from post by James, some finding:
One of the ID key gone missing in the 3rd shot. There's is no orange spot in space 7 hindwing, that lead me to think whether it's a Potanthus rectifasciatus or Potanthus pamela?

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...6/IMG_5214.jpg
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...6/IMG_5219.jpg
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...6/IMG_5229.jpg

Les, for yr #5, take a look on the C&P4, plate 59 - 17. Potanthus trachala tytleri.

Thanks SC. Using the key as well, I end up with the same conclusion. Number 275!:thumbsup:

Oriens paragola? taken in singapore.

Using the key in C&P4, I would tend to agree. However, as this would be a new record, it should be checked against any existing specimens of this Genus.

275

BJ, I m quite sure this will be a +1 :)

Having realised that my No 2 was Potanthus confucius, I have been in a quandry. I already had a photo of this species, which I now realise was obviously wrong.

It has the orange spots conjoined from spaces 2,3 to 4,5 and from 4,5 to 6,7 on the forewing upperside, but there is no spot in space 7 on the hindwing. There are only three Potanthus species without this spot found in Thailand, P. rectifasciatus, P. pamela and P. pallida, but none of them have the conjoined forewing spots.

I have come to the tentative decision that this may be Taractrocera archias quinta. I would be very grateful for your thoughts, especially from anyone who has had direct experience of this species.

275

The Taractrocera genus has a unique characteristic of not having the usual apiculus of the Hesperiidae. In your shot, there is a hint of this 'hook' on the right antennae of the specimen, which rules out Taractrocera.

Do you have another shot showing the antennae more clearly? Particular the tip of the club?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cruiser

Oriens paragola? taken in singapore.

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Highly likely. This can be considered tentatively. I recall that you shot something similar before, but again, we can't be 100% sure.

You know what to do when you next encounter something like this. ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Commander

The Taractrocera genus has a unique characteristic of not having the usual apiculus of the Hesperiidae. In your shot, there is a hint of this 'hook' on the right antennae of the specimen, which rules out Taractrocera.

Do you have another shot showing the antennae more clearly? Particular the tip of the club?

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You may have realised from my original wording that I was not particularly confident with my tentative ID of this one.

Sorry, taken with my old box brownie, so pic is very heavily cropped, and the only one I have. However, enlarged as far as poss, which shows what you mean to anyone who does not know the apiculus.

This leads me to ask, what is it then, as I've discarded all the Potanthus?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Commander

Highly likely. This can be considered tentatively. I recall that you shot something similar before, but again, we can't be 100% sure.

You know what to do when you next encounter something like this. ;-)

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One more sighted today at Yishun area, I believe it is the same species, see pic attached and hope to be able to ID it this time ;-)

Yes, looks like same species, so did you follow Khew's advice? ;-)

I did, SC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Painted Jezebel

Resurrecting this thread after 2 years. I am adding Potanthus to it, I hope you don't mind. 6 different specimens. Hope someone can help.

No1)

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les, yr post no. 3, one photo showing the skipper with apiculus on antennae but the other without, are they the same specimen?

Yes,SC, the same specimen. I think you will find that the the one without the apicalus is simply due to the angle of shot.

The third doesnt seem to be Telicota..it may be a Potanthus or Taracterocera.
Cheers!
Kalesh

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kaleshs2002in

The third doesnt seem to be Telicota..it may be a Potanthus or Taracterocera.
Cheers!
Kalesh

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Don't think any are taractrocera's. All haf "hooks".

I think the third skipper in post #1 by Khew matches Potanthus hetaerus.

Hey I've got some pics too!:jumjoy:

Khew's photos

Thankfully there are only three Telicota spps in Singapore.

1 T augias augias male. In T. augias male the underside forewing area is deeply shaded orange so that the spots are difficult to discend from the ground colour.

2 T. colon stinga male. The male is readily IDed by the orangey vein streaks running from the main spots.

3 Potanthus hetaerus serina female. The black gap between the the three subcostal spots and the costal yellow area indicates it is a Potanthus. The underside have a neater appearance than other Potanthus. The marginal areas are shaded yellow and crossed by darkened veins. Hindwing band has a small extension into space 6 (probably not important)
Horace was right.

4 T. augias male . As stated, ground colour obscured the spots.

5 T. augias . Left-male, right-female. The underside orangey-yellow ground colour of the hindwing of the female IDed the pair.

Giving Les' photos a miss, since I am not too sure about the Thai spps.

Sky Blue 's photo

Cephrenes acalle niasicus male
The series of orange costal streaks extending and joining the 3 subcostal spots is not seen in Potanthus but typical of Telicota male. However, on the upperside the streaks are not so extensive and just meet the subcostal spots.
In addition, the orange cell bar have a central black streak not found in the in the 3 Telicota spp male.

Banded Yeoman 's photo

Potanthus omaha male.
Note small size, band cut by darkened veins; costal band not strongly darkened as in P. hetaerus male. Highly variable, thus spot in space 6 may be present.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Psyche

Giving Les' photos a miss, since I am not too sure about the Thai spps.

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You are doing yourself a disservice here:) . Actually, all known Potanthus species from the peninsular part of Thailand are also found in Malaysia, and they are the same subspecies.

If you could look at my photos again, I would be very grateful, as I am nearing publication of a paper listing the species from Koh Samui Island, and would like to be certain of my facts.(I do not want to put down Potanthus sp.1, Potanthus sp.2, etc). Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Painted Jezebel

You are doing yourself a disservice here:) . Actually, all known Potanthus species from the peninsular part of Thailand are also found in Malaysia, and they are the same subspecies.

If you could look at my photos again, I would be very grateful, as I am nearing publication of a paper listing the species from Koh Samui Island, and would like to be certain of my facts.(I do not want to put down Potanthus sp.1, Potanthus sp.2, etc). Thanks.

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Here goes Les. This is what I think it is.

1 Potanthus hetaerus. This is easy enough with the yellow -shaded marginal areas crossed by darkened veins.

2 Potanthus ganda. The overlap between spot 3 and 4 is less than half.

3 Potanthus confucius. There is a linking up of all the spots.

4 Potanthus juno. Spot 8 on the costal margin is reduced to a dot and seemed to be missing on the under surface.

5 Potanthus lydia . This could not be P. trachala because in P. trachala, spots 1, 2, and 3 are strongly crescentic in the male, and this is a male judging by its large orange spots. It cannot be P. ganda because ganda is a small species, and spot 8 tends to be short. P. lydia is a montane spp in Malaysia.

6 Potanthus hetaerus male . Large dark and the hindwing band with a narrow extension into space 6.

Hope it helps.

TL Seow

Thank you so much.:gbounce: A bit of a rewrite is necessary from me:) . Just one question, is it Potanthus hetaerus or P. serina, as I have seen both names in use?

I have found that several species which are primarily montane in Malaysia are found at sea level here, such as Kaniska canace.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Painted Jezebel

Thank you so much.:gbounce: A bit of a rewrite is necessary from me:) . Just one question, is it Potanthus hetaerus or P. serina, as I have seen both names in use?

I have found that several species which are primarily montane in Malaysia are found at sea level here, such as Kaniska canace.

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Treadway et al have found both the Phillipine race hetaerus and the Sundanian race serina co-existing in the Tawi-Tawi islands, so it is necessary to considered them as seperate species. As there is no other subspecies the taxon here need only be known as P. serina.